The present invention provides a method for treating pain.
The present invention provides a method for treating acute self-limiting ailments, low-grade somatic-type acute pain, including for example, but not limited to headache, arthritis, simple muscle strain, and dysmenorrhea. The invention further provides a method for treating neuropathic pain. Additionally, this invention provides a method for treating nociceptive pain.
There is a demand for more active analgesic agents with diminished side effects and toxicity and which are non-addictive. The ideal analgesic would reduce the awareness of pain, produce analgesia over a wide range of pain types, act satisfactorily whether given orally or parenterally, produce minimal or no side effects, be free from tendency to produce tolerance and drug dependence.
Applicants have discovered that olanzapine can provide many of the characteristics of an ideal analgesic for the treatment of pain.
It is known that olanzapine can provide antipsychotic activity and is commercially available for the treatment of psychosis. Olanzapine is a known compound and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,382 as being useful for the treatment of schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, acute mania, mild anxiety states, and psychosis. U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,382 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Surprisingly, and in accordance with this invention, Applicants have discovered that olanzapine can be useful for the treatment of pain. Olanzapine could address a long felt need for a safe and effective treatment for acute pain.